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Ronald H. Silverman, PhD

Professor of Ophthalmic Science (in Ophthalmology)

Dr. Silverman has been involved in ultrasound research in ophthalmology for 30 years. His research includes development of high-resolution imaging systems, studies of ultrasound safety and bioeffects, high-intensity ultrasound, blood-flow imaging, photoacoustics, and tissue characterization by use of signal-processing. He applies these techniques for studies of ocular disease in animal models and for clinical examinations.

Dr. Silverman is currently Principle Investigator on an NIH-sponsored project whose goal is development of a novel ultrasonic imaging technique, ultrafast plane-wave imaging, which enables acquisition of up to 10,000 images per second. Computer-analysis of the data allows visualization and measurement of blood-flow throughout the eye and orbit. This technique is being applied to glaucoma, vascular malformations and occlusions. Collaborators on this project include Raksha Urs, PhD, Jeffrey Ketterling, PhD (Riverside Research) and Alfred Yu, PhD (University of Waterloo).

He is also collaborating with Riverside Research scientists Jonathan Mamou, PhD and Daniel Rohrbach, PhD on a novel method called scanning acoustic microscopy for imaging and characterizing tissue sections. This method utilizes ultrasound probes with frequencies of 250-500 MHz, 10x higher than that used for clinical imaging of the eye, to produce image detail comparable to light microscopy, but more importantly, information about the physical properties of the tissue, including elasticity and density. Dr. Silverman is using this system to assess the cornea, sclera and optic nerve in keratoconus, myopia and glaucoma.

Dr. Silverman has numerous patents and was a co-founder of Ultralink, LLC, which, under license from Cornell University, developed the Artemis ultrasound system for imaging and biometric analysis of the cornea and anterior segment. Ultralink has since been acquired by Arcscan, Inc., which is further developing the technology.

Dr. Silverman is active in several professional organizations. He served on the ARVO Program Committee, Anatomy & Pathology Section, from 2008-2011 and is currently on the program committee of the ARVO Imaging in the Eye Conference. He is also on the program committee and a co-organizer of the International Conference on Ultrasonic Biomedical Microscanning. He is a Fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (FARVO), the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (FAIUM), the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers (FAIMBE) and is a Senior Member of the IEEE.

Aside from presenting and moderating at numerous meetings, Dr. Silverman has also often acted as an organizer for special sections. He is frequently asked to review articles in journals specializing in ophthalmology, ultrasound and optics. In addition, he serves as a grant-reviewer for the NIH.

Dr. Silverman has mentored and trained numerous students, fellows, and residents that have worked in his laboratory over the years and considers this an important aspect of his work.

Since 2012, Dr. Silverman has been Director of the Basic Science Course in Ophthalmology (BSCO) which has been offered by Columbia University for over 75 years. With the able assistance of Stephen Tsang, MD, PhD (co-director), Harriet Lloyd, MS, Kenia del los Santos and Suzanne Daly (co-managers), the BSCO teaches students, primarily ophthalmology residents, from all over the world. The four-week course consists of approximately 120 hours of lectures on clinical ophthalmology and vision research plus 25 hours of workshops and wet-labs, with lecturers from Columbia University as well as national and international luminaries in their fields.

Research Interests

Imaging and characterization of ocular tissues with ultrasound alone or in combination with optics

The use of high-resolution ultrasound to map the layers of the cornea to detect changes indicative of early keratoconus

The use of ultrasound to remotely palpate tissues such as the cornea or retina to non-invasively probe their elastic properties, using both ultrasound and optical coherence tomography to measure ultrasound-induced tissue displacements

The use of lasers in combination with ultrasound in a process called photoacoustic imaging to visualize light-absorbing tissue structures, such as the microvasculature